All students were evacuated to the Philippe-Bergeron arena due to the cold. School buses were dispatched to the scene. Some students, who were in skirts or short-sleeved sweaters, were able to take refuge there while the arena doors were unlocked.
“We went out in little shoes in the snow,” said a staff member.
The students did not have time to take their winter clothes before evacuating the school. (Maxime Picard/La Tribune)
As a result, classes will be suspended for the entire day on Wednesday, January 22, but students will be able to come to school to collect their materials. Classes will be offered online starting Thursday, January 23 until it is possible to return to the establishment.
Listening services will be offered to students who feel the need.
The thread of events
The call to the Fire Protection Service was made at 10:15 a.m., according to the communications department of the City of Sherbrooke.
According to Alex Morency, a fourth-year secondary student, it took about ten minutes for them to enter the arena.
During the passage of The Tribune at the Philippe-Bergeron arena, several parents were present to pick up their children. One father indicated that he was not worried because his child “wasn’t panicking on the phone.”
The evacuation of the private school was carried out smoothly, according to management. “We applied the measures and overall it worked well. The students left quickly,” explains the director of educational services, Danny Roussel.
In the event of an emergency, the arena is the gathering point for students and school staff.
-At the end of the intervention, a smell of overheating reigned in the corridors of the school, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year.
A generator operating problem is believed to be the cause. (Maxime Picard/La Tribune)
The electricity was cut off in the building so that firefighters could control the short circuit, explains the school’s general director, François Tessier. “The first thing we did was ensure the safety of our students.”
The electrical overload is linked to the malfunction of a generator, notes Charles Pelletier, president of the board of directors. He went there as soon as he was informed of the situation.
The flames were concentrated directly at the electrical panel, he said. Checks will be carried out to verify that there is no collateral damage.
Classes were suspended for the rest of the day Tuesday. School transportation has also been canceled. At the end of the morning, only staff were authorized to circulate in a specific section of the establishment to collect their personal belongings.
The general director of Bromptonville Secondary School, François Tessier and the president of the board of directors, Charles Pelletier, in discussion with the chief of operations of the Fire Protection Department of the City of Sherbrooke. (Maxime Picard/La Tribune)
In a press release published at the end of the day, the establishment highlighted the good behavior of the students during the evacuation. Bromptonville Secondary School has 560 students and around sixty staff members.
